Speech or Silence

The debate still goes on infront to declare whether Sanskrit or Tamil is the most suitable for worshiping god. But divinity is beyond language, reason and thoughts. When Buddha and Mahavir met, their disciples around them were wondering the topic they would choose for discussion. But silence only prevailed though more than one hour went by.

Silence is the best known language and nothing else is significant enough. other greats like Kabir and Farid, Sivayoga Swami and Ramana , when they met, they exchanged silence between them for long hours. What is the need of weighted words if silence can be the best medium to understand? When we don't go together with our mind, we take refuge to words. When we submerge ourselves into total peace, language disappears, words get dissolved. The mind or the thought process disappears.

The 'I' in you vanishes. who is inside at such a state? What is his Nationality? Where is the place for creed nor for Language? LA-VOTSU admits that" Known persons don't talk, people who talk don't understand". Arunagirinathar says 'remain quiet' which he says in our favour. Jen says 'Grass will grow byitself or for that matter Flowers will blossom slowly' both reiterates the same point.

Words before they reach God, return by themselves, human mind or thoughts can never disturb the divine. Thaithreeya Upanishad says this only to remind us to become the master of one's senses. We, on the other hand , are prepared to discuss for hours about "silence". We love to talk. We choose to talk about ourselves. We feel we lose our address if we remain silent.

When one forgets the 'I' in him, he starts realising the real 'I' in him. silence comes as a rescue to people who are prepared to forget the 'I' in them. The dividends speak more, in such cases speech is rendered to a state of waste or lose muscles. We tend to raise the tone while reciting the mantras especially more when those who are near by don't understand the 'Mantra's. The wise read only to reform themselves' ; ----'Confucius's while we reach a state of Eldorado, words disappear but tears of joy slowly trickle from the eyes.

Same is true when realisation of god takes place. Words lose its address. We realise God in bliss and not for the bliss. Reading beckeths knowledge but higher the knowledge one realises oneself the trumpet makes big noise. If one tries to open the trumpet to discover what makes it so loud, he discovers nothing inside. King Janagar wished once to obtain liberation of the self. Ashtavakkirar took up the challenge and asked the king to give his mind to him. Janagar did so. Janagar forgot the senses. he failed to realise what was going around him. days and months went by. The people of Mythila searched for the king but in vain.

When they found him atlast, he remained immovable like a rock. No response in him what so ever. Ashtavikrar was brought there. He uttered to King Janagar in the tone of an 'Asireeri' To get up and to come to himself. This episode brings out the fact that so long the mind exists, dreams remain, desires stay but no scope for true Awareness or Knowledge. We argue but our existence is on account of our thinking. Where as the divine philosophy says that 'I don't think. hence there exists no 'I'. The discovery of zero by Indians is not by accident. It is on account of the superior state of the mind. These are the words of R. K. Lakshman. A thief tried to close his ears so that when he steals the big bell, the noise made might not be audible to the environs.

This piece is an extract from a Chinese story. The moral of the story is that it is futile to control the external noise. Languages under go changes, So does speech. But the silence remain as the same language and wins over time. The lone hand makes no noise but the significance of this statement is to make one to hear the sound of the innerself. what is superior to the mind? - Intentions. what is superior to intentions? - "Thoughts" may come as an answer.

But "dhyana" or meditation in silence is the superlative. One can realise the earth or the sky or the distance between the two in deep meditation. What it conveys? You can realise 'divinity' in Silence. Silence can not be expressed by words . Rhetoric's fail to bring the efficacy of remaining in Silence. But the efficacy of silence can be made to exhibit in real life and in terms of success. There is an anechoic chamber in the Harvard university which is meant for conducting research about silence. Silence is not a state of "No Noise", but it brings out the state of one's mind. Gita Sarabai of India reveals that "Music is meant to silence the mind". Tranquillity of mind takes one to wander in the world of divinity, that is the travel to one's destination or emancipation.

Note: what I have written above is only my attempt to translate a piece I read in Tamil in a journal.